Genealogy or Asabiyya? Ibn Khaldun between Arab Nationalism and the Ottoman Caliphate
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 9067195 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Nurullah Ardıç (0000-0001-6041-1627, corresponding author), Nurullah ArdIç |
| Year | 2012 |
| Volume | 71 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 315-324 |
| Publication date | 2012-10-01 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Near Eastern Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0022-2968 • E-ISSN: 1545-6978 |
| Publisher | University of Chicago Press (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1086/666697 |
| OpenAlex | W2073204859 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 5 |
Ibn Khaldun’s concept of asabiyya, as well as his view of the rise and fall of civilizations as outlined in his theory of ʿumran, are known to have influenced gen- erations of scholars since the late 16th century. To a certain extent, the Ottoman elites of the 16th–19th centuries also adopted the Khaldunian view of history and politics, and there has been some modern research done on Ibn Khaldun’s impact on these Ottoman in- tellectuals as well.2 However, the role played by this important Muslim thinker in the political struggles of the Ottoman milieu has not been paid enough attention. This article examines Ibn Khaldun’s ‘contribution’ to the political debates on the Ottoman Caliphate dur- ing the first quarter of the twentieth century, particularly during World War I and its aftermath. It discusses an important debate between pro-Ottoman actors and Arab nationalists on what is known as the “Quraysh question,” which centered on a hadith that states that the caliph must be a member of the Quraysh tribe of Mecca (of which Prophet Muhammad was a member) as a precondition for caliphate. In this connection, the article analyzes how Ibn Khaldun’s interpretation of this problem was appropriated by Ottoman intel- lectuals and political actors in relation to the “Arab caliphate” project that developed in the context of British and French colonialism in the Middle East. While Arab nationalists stressed the ethnic back- ground of the leader as a fundamental precondition for caliphate, Ottoman supporters chose to embrace the Khaldunian theory instead, which emphasized the asabiyya of the caliph’s rule, rather than his genealogy or tribal affiliation
Ancient history · Archaeology · Caliphate · Islam · Nationalism · Political science · Politics · Classics · History · Islamic Studies and History · Law · Turkey's Politics and Society
| Citations per year | 0.56 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2017 - 2025 (9) |
| Highly cited | No |